Vaant (The Galaxos Crew Book 1) Page 8

  "She fights even when she doesn't have to," Isla said. "She's an amazing friend and an incredible leader, but she's a terrible follower. Almost perpetually insubordinate, so if you need her to do something, tell her the opposite."

  He smiled. "That explains it, then."

  "Explains what?"

  "Vrix is very taken with her." Mrax switched into High Xarav, frowning as he handed her another breathing mask. "I've never seen him let anyone hit him so much. If any of us managed to hit him even once, we'd be a grease stain on the floor in a matter of heartbeats."

  Isla's eyebrows climbed toward her hairline of their own volition. "You're kidding. That's how Xaravians flirt?"

  "Not by any means," he said. "That's just Vrix."

  The memory of Vaant's touch, his kiss, and the way he offered her food and touched her hand... Isla wondered how Vaant flirted. She sure as hell couldn't ask the medical officer that. But she could maybe find out something else. She tugged the mask away long enough to ask, "Why did they take us?"

  Mrax paused, not quite meeting her gaze. "I don't know."

  "Yes you do." She took a deep breath as the cool mist in the mask filled her throat and lungs in a soothing rush. "Please. Help me understand."

  He was younger than Vaant and Vrix, clearly, and didn't have nearly as many beads or bones in his hair. Mrax had a healer's disposition — wanting to help, to reassure — so she knew he was the best bet to get more insight into how the Xaravian captain made his decisions. Once Isla knew his motivations, she could figure out a better plan to escape. Even though her heart wanted to stay and find out why Vaant kissed her.

  Mrax started putting away all the bandages and equipment he'd used with Griggs, not facing Isla as he spoke. "The Alliance isn't what you think it is. Neither is the Fleet. Not everyone there is as honorable or dedicated as you are. We are accustomed to questioning their motives, and it was easy to see your captain's true character. So Vaant did what he had to in order to save you."

  She didn't believe him. Well, she didn't want to believe him. But Mrax seemed guileless, even for a warrior and borderline barbarian, and earnest in his belief that the Galaxos did the right thing in stealing the six women away. Isla filed the information away for later, to maybe run by the others, and swung her legs up on the bed so she could pretend to relax and fall asleep. "How long will this run?"

  "Another thirty minutes or so." Mrax held up the control pad. "It will beep here. You can just leave the mask on this tray." His eyebrows rose as he actually saw the tray, though, and the medical officer leaned closer to examine the remains of the Xaravian food she'd torn through only a short while before. "Did Vaant eat dinner in here?"

  "No, he brought that for me. I had a few bites." More like half the food stores, she'd been so hungry. Isla fussed with the sheets, trying to get comfortable. She still had a lot of plotting to do with Griggs if the security officer woke up, even though fatigue threatened to derail her plans. "But you can —"

  She cut herself off when she saw Mrax's expression, and the doctor left the tray exactly where it was. "What?"

  He retreated a few steps. "It's nice that he brought you food."

  Something about his tone made her uneasy. Something else to ask Jess about — did food mean something to the Xaravians? She knew they had a lot of rules around meals and breaking bread and that sort of thing, but Isla couldn't remember if that applied only during war or also with... other relationships.

  Mrax kept moving toward the door. "The green button on the panel to your left will call for help. There's someone outside the door in case there is a problem."

  He disappeared into the hall, and Isla caught a glimpse of the massive guard outside the door. She didn't know if it was for her or Griggs, but chances were the Xaravians didn't want a repeat of Griggs's grand escape while the squids were on board.

  She stared up at the ceiling as the breathing machine worked and her chest started to ease a bit. It didn't take long before Griggs's voice rasped in the silence. "So it looks like we're both in trouble."

  "You're the one who keeps trying to escape."

  "I meant the way that big captain looks at you. And he kissed you, and it looked like you were kissing him back. We've been here a day, Isla." Griggs groaned as she sat up, fighting off the sedative. "We can't let them distract us. We can't stay here."

  "And I saw the way Vrix looks at you, too." Isla sighed, rubbing her forehead. "There's a lot going on, Cici. I don't know what to believe anymore. They said — they said Witz gave us up. Vaant said Witz offered him food, fuel, then us to get the Xaravians to go the other way. Something about our last stop in the Primus Major galaxy, that the Argo was exploiting some of the planets there."

  "That's ridiculous." Griggs kicked off her boots and staggered to retrieve more pillows from the other beds, wincing as she eased back onto her bed and built an elaborate nest to support her arm and shoulder. "That's the sort of thing the rebels make up to try and sway support away from the Alliance. There's a price to pay to belong to the Alliance, sure, and some planets are happy to pay that price. The rebels don't want there to be any sort of tax or anything. As for Witz... he's a bastard, but he's not a criminal. If he chose to send us with the Xaravians..."

  Her gaze went faraway and Isla held her breath, wondering if Griggs also got that sinking feeling in her stomach that Isla felt every time she thought about it too hard. Griggs shook her head and took a deep breath. "I can't explain it, Isla. I don't understand. He should have fought to keep us. He should have. All of them should have, and they just… stood there."

  "No," Isla said slowly, the memories coming back in pieces. A knot tied her throat and made it difficult to breathe again. "They helped. They packed our bags, Cici. Our colleagues, our crewmates... They just gave us away."

  "There's got to be a reason."

  The silence stretched between them, and when neither of them moved for a long time, the lights dimmed and everything on the surface looked calm. Serene. Underneath it all, though, Isla's mind raced. She didn't get a wink of sleep, and from the restlessness across the room, neither did Griggs.

  Chapter 14

  Vaant

  Vaant didn't sleep well. Trazzak summoned him to the bridge twice when they thought they had more Alliance ships in the vicinity, but each time, the navigator was able to maneuver the Galaxos and the damaged ship to avoid the potential threat. The last thing Vaant wanted was to get blamed for attacking the civilian transporter, or using it as a means to get close to the waystation to exploit it. The Fleet didn't think much of non-Fleet ships. They would try him right there in the middle of nowhere and execute his crew without giving them a chance to defend themselves.

  He ate breakfast alone in his quarters, debating over how to approach the next steps with the interpreter. They exchanged heated words in the infirmary before Griggs interrupted, and with the two women alone to plot all night, there was no telling what other conspiracies she came up with to explain why the Argo traded the women for freedom. Vaant debated heading to the fighting gym for a quick round or two with another Xaravian, just to get his blood flowing, but the communicator in his quarters beeped to summon him to the bridge.

  Luckily he didn't have far to go to get to the bridge, so he was still pulling on his boots as he entered the suddenly busy command area. Trazzak watched a radar sweep of the surrounding space as they approached the space port. "Strange activity in the vicinity, Captain."

  "What kind of activity?" Vaant eased into his captain's chair, adjusting the collar of his uniform.

  "It's more like a lack of activity," the second-in-command said. He handed Vaant a tablet with a time capture of the last day around the space port. "No ships docked with the port, no one incoming or outgoing except for one vessel."

  The radios crackled and buzzed, and another distress signal rippled through the bridge. Everyone froze, including two of the squid crew who monitored the connection to their ship. Vaant looked at Trazzak. "Where is that comin
g from?"

  "The space port." Trazzak frowned, his skin swirling orange with concern. "A distress signal, but I can't understand it."

  "Get the interpreter from the sick bay," Vaant said, gesturing at Adhz where he waited near the doors. "We'll need her assistance."

  They waited for what felt like an eternity, approaching the space port slowly with the squid ship still in tow, and the distress signal continued blaring into the bridge. Vaant's hearts sank as the Galaxos came into view of the space port and he saw a single ship detaching from the massive structure.

  The doors to the bridge opened and Isla hobbled in, wheezing a little, and scowled. "And what exactly is..."

  The distress call changed tone and she stopped in her tracks, staring at the viewing screen as the space port grew ever larger in the window. Vaant held his breath as they saw the other ship retreat and then shift their engines to faster-than-light travel, disappearing in a flash. Trazzak maneuvered the viewer to freeze a frame of the ship and enlarge it so they could see the hull markings. And there it was — Alliance Fleet ship Argo.

  Isla took a shaky breath. "That’s… That can't be —"

  "What is the distress call saying?" Trazzak asked, handing her the radio and listening cone. "We can only decipher a few words."

  Her expression made Vaant's throat close in concern. Even the too-big Xaravian uniform she wore to replace the Fleet uniform they cut off her the day before couldn't distract him with her sexy curves.

  The depth of her captain's betrayal looked like it made her physically sick. But she straightened her shoulders and took over the radio. "They were… attacked. Two of the generators are damaged, but three are still operational and can sustain life support systems. They've closed off the damaged areas to try and control the fires. They need assistance maintaining the fuel pods and oxygen tanks, and treating the injured. Their medical bay was isolated in some of the damaged areas."

  Vaant nodded, his scales rustling. That fucking captain and his damn ship. Why would they attack a space port? Even in the wild sectors, rebels and Fleet alike respected the neutrality of space ports and the need to preserve them as a vital lifeline for all space travelers. "Very well. Notify the squid ship we're going to detach in order to approach the space port. They should have sufficient engine power to drift closer, and we can assist with docking after we determine the level of damage to the port."

  Isla's hands trembled as she switched the radio to address the squid ship, looking at the two crew who were on the bridge with them. The strange language gargled out of her mouth for longer than Vaant imagined possible, but the squid crew saluted and left the bridge in a hurry. A few moments later, the squid ship separated from the Galaxos and drifted in their wake. Vaant nodded to her, wanting to draw her close in a reassuring embrace, but turned his attention to the viewing screen and the space port. "Hail the port and provide our identification, and request approval to dock so we can assist in repairing their generators and any damage."

  She took a deep breath and started talking a rapid-fire Trade, which probably should have been universal, but became more a vernacular associated with space ports and traders. Isla glanced back at him when she'd finished delivering the message and waited for a response from the port. "Was that really the Argo? What is going on?"

  "We don't know yet," Vaant said. "We'll check the records on the space port and figure out what happened."

  Isla held the radio up and focused as more voices joined the distress calls. "The attack was interrupted. We can dock in bay seven, but their security team will meet us. One generator has failed. They're requesting two additional fuel cells."

  Trazzak picked up a different communicator. "I'll notify engineering of the requirements."

  Isla continued to feed the first mate data on the types of generators used, as well as specifics of the damage, but Vaant saw her self-control start to fray as she glanced back at the screen and the huge image of the Argo fleeing the space port. Vaant gestured for Trazzak to remove the image, so at least they could focus on the task at hand. Isla cleared her throat and held tight to the communicator and the back of Trazzak's chair. "Could they… Could the Argo be chasing after the ship that attacked the space port?"

  "No," Trazzak said gently, when Vaant couldn't find the words to reassure the Earther. "They have been the only ship in the vicinity for almost a day. They must have warned other ships away from this quadrant."

  "Why?" Isla looked at Vaant. "Why would they attack a space port?"

  He didn't want to say he'd explained it the night before, since she looked on the verge of total collapse. So Vaant just reached for the new survival suits they'd stashed on the bridge. "Let's go find out."

  The Galaxos slowed considerably as it approached the space port and alarms went off as the space port's working defenses targeted them as a potential threat. Isla hailed them again and repeated the identification, waiting until the space port provided approval to dock to nod to Trazzak to complete the docking procedure. Vaant and his team started walking to the docking bay, Isla on his heels, and started to gather gear to carry over to the damaged port.

  Vaant held out a new survival suit, just out of Isla's reach. "Are you going to take your helmet off against orders?"

  "I could lie to you and say no," she said, a scowl stacking lines across her forehead. "But I'll tell you the truth and say it depends on if the situation will warrant it."

  Mrax frowned as he picked up a large emergency bag near the pods. "If you do that again, you could permanently damage your lungs, or just die. We wouldn't be able to repair the tissue in your lungs."

  "If civilians are in danger —"

  "Do not endanger yourself," Vaant said, putting an edge to his tone so hopefully she would heed the order this time. He didn't have much faith any of those Earther women would actually listen to reason. He caught her arm and pulled her around so she had to look at him. "Isla, listen to me. Stay with us, do not do anything risky."

  Vrix appeared with Rowan and Maisy in tow, and said in passing, "If you three do anything stupid, like trying to escape or signaling for help, your friends will pay the price. Do you understand?"

  Isla's expression darkened, then she pulled on the survival suit and the helmet obscured her face. Vaant braced himself for a heck of a fight as they crossed over to the airlock between the ship and the space port. Even Isla's doubts about the Argo and her former captain's behavior didn't seem like they would be enough to keep her with the Galaxos. If he hadn't needed her to interpret, he would have locked her away to keep her safe. As they walked through the airlock and into the space port, facing a large security contingent and smoke billowing in the air in acrid waves, he hoped she just kept her helmet on.

  Chapter 15

  Isla

  Isla had returned to the shared quarters after she and Griggs ate breakfast in the infirmary. They hadn't gotten much plotting done, both uncomfortable with the thoughts of how Witz abandoned them, but when they returned to where the other women stayed, it became clear Rowan and Jess had been hard at work. The space port presented a prime opportunity, and one they couldn't ignore.

  Everyone knew Isla would be under Vaant's scrutiny the entire time she was on the space port — mostly because of the interpreting — but also because of something else, according to Jess. So Maisy and Rowan were given detailed instructions on what to take and how to get it.

  Rowan asked Isla to try and keep the Xaravians distracted so she stood a chance of hiding the parts in her uniform. She agreed, but started to reconsider after seeing the Argo on the viewing screen as they fled the space port. Isla couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be some truth to Vaant's charges against Witz and the Alliance, and not just because she couldn't justify the Earther captain letting the Xaravians take the female officers off his ship.

  As she listened to the others plan and plot, arguing about whether they should escape to the port and hide there, or stay on the Galaxos and try to gather enough evidence to get
the Xaravians arrested and prosecuted, Isla's thoughts drifted to other events in the last two deployments she'd been on. Small things that seemed like nothing in isolation started looking more and more suspicious when she viewed them through the prism of Vaant's accusations. The fear from some planets when the Argo approached, the on-loading of crates and crates of mysterious goods from some planets, and the offloading of those same crates on Earth or to other Alliance ships, and odd treaties that Witz wouldn't let her or Violet read — all of it left her queasy.

  So she was already in an uncomfortable mood before she saw the Argo on the viewer on the bridge, and it just got worse as she heard the distress call and details of how the space port had been attacked. Vaant's attention didn't help, since she kept flashing back to that kiss. Maybe it was all an elaborate ruse to keep her and the other women off-balance and uncertain about returning to the Alliance. Maybe they really intended to sell her onto some other rebel ship — Isla and all her friends had valuable skills that would be useful on any ship, even without being an exceedingly rare commodity: female space officers.

  She didn't want to talk to Vaant or risk touching him as they crossed into the space port and at least a dozen security officers waited for them in the docking bay. She needed to focus. If there was evidence of the Argo's role in the attack, she had to document it and bring it back to discuss with the rest of the women. Maybe Vaant and the Xaravians actually had saved their lives. Maybe there was a new purpose for Isla and her friends and the service they wanted to provide to the universe. They'd all sworn to protect and defend the innocent, to fight for justice and peace, and to be a light into the darkness. If they couldn't uphold those oaths on a Fleet ship, then maybe they could do it on a Xaravian ship.

  Or they could find their own ship, maybe join the rebels or operate completely independently.

  Isla blinked as Vaant caught her arm. "Can you translate that?"